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The Circle Opens #3
Cold Fire
There is an alternate cover edition here.
Daja and Frostpine expect to have a peaceful winter's visit with old friends in Kugisko, a port in the vast empire of Namon. But there is no peace when mysterious fires begin to blaze across the vulnerable city. Daja assists Bennat Ladradun, a local firefighter with a tragic past, to fight the flames. The two become fast friends-until they realize the fires have been deliberately set, and their relationship is deeply tested. Daja's magic helps her track down the firestarter, but no magic can protect her or Ben from the effects of madness and betrayal.
Daja and Frostpine expect to have a peaceful winter's visit with old friends in Kugisko, a port in the vast empire of Namon. But there is no peace when mysterious fires begin to blaze across the vulnerable city. Daja assists Bennat Ladradun, a local firefighter with a tragic past, to fight the flames. The two become fast friends-until they realize the fires have been deliberately set, and their relationship is deeply tested. Daja's magic helps her track down the firestarter, but no magic can protect her or Ben from the effects of madness and betrayal.
355 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2002
284 people are currently reading
5317 people want to read
About the author
Tamora Pierce
99 books85.2k followersHey, folks! I just discovered that apparently I have given some very popular books single-star ratings--except I haven't. How do I know I haven't? Because I haven't read those books at all. So before you go getting all hacked off at me for trashing your favorites, know that I've written GoodReads to find out what's going on.
I return to my regularly scheduled profile:
Though I would love to join groups, I'm going to turn them all down. I just don't have the time to take part, so please don't be offended if I don't join your group or accept an invitation. I'm not snooty--I'm just up to my eyeballs in work and appearances!
Also, don't be alarmed by the number of books I've read. When I get bored, I go through the different lists and rediscover books I've read in the past. It's a very evil way to use up time when I should be doing other things. Obviously, I've read a lot of books in 54 years!
I was born in South Connellsville, PA. My mother wanted to name me "Tamara" but the nurse who filled out my birth certificate misspelled it as "Tamora". When I was 8 my family moved to California, where we lived for 6 years on both sides of the San Francisco peninsula.
I started writing stories in 6th grade. My interest in fantasy and science fiction began when I was introduced to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J. R. R. Tolkien and so I started to write the kind of books that I was reading. After my parents divorced, my mother took my sisters and me back to Pennsylvania in 1969. There I went to Albert Gallatin Senior High for 2 years and Uniontown Area Senior High School for my senior year.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, I wrote the book that became The Song of the Lioness fantasy quartet. I sold some articles and 2 short stories and wrote reviews for a martial arts movie magazine. At last the first book of the quartet, Alanna: The First Adventure was published by Atheneum Books in 1983.
Tim Liebe, who became my Spouse-Creature, and I lived in New York City with assorted cats and two parakeets from 1982 - 2006. In 2006 we moved to Syracuse, New York, where we live now with assorted cats, a number of squirrels, birds, raccoons, skunks, opossums, and woodchucks visiting our very small yard. As of 2011, I have 27 novels in print, one short story collection, one comic book arc ("White Tiger: A Hero's Compulsion") co-written with Tim, and a short story anthology co-editing credit. There's more to come, including a companion book to the Tortall `verse. So stay tuned!
I return to my regularly scheduled profile:
Though I would love to join groups, I'm going to turn them all down. I just don't have the time to take part, so please don't be offended if I don't join your group or accept an invitation. I'm not snooty--I'm just up to my eyeballs in work and appearances!
Also, don't be alarmed by the number of books I've read. When I get bored, I go through the different lists and rediscover books I've read in the past. It's a very evil way to use up time when I should be doing other things. Obviously, I've read a lot of books in 54 years!
I was born in South Connellsville, PA. My mother wanted to name me "Tamara" but the nurse who filled out my birth certificate misspelled it as "Tamora". When I was 8 my family moved to California, where we lived for 6 years on both sides of the San Francisco peninsula.
I started writing stories in 6th grade. My interest in fantasy and science fiction began when I was introduced to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J. R. R. Tolkien and so I started to write the kind of books that I was reading. After my parents divorced, my mother took my sisters and me back to Pennsylvania in 1969. There I went to Albert Gallatin Senior High for 2 years and Uniontown Area Senior High School for my senior year.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, I wrote the book that became The Song of the Lioness fantasy quartet. I sold some articles and 2 short stories and wrote reviews for a martial arts movie magazine. At last the first book of the quartet, Alanna: The First Adventure was published by Atheneum Books in 1983.
Tim Liebe, who became my Spouse-Creature, and I lived in New York City with assorted cats and two parakeets from 1982 - 2006. In 2006 we moved to Syracuse, New York, where we live now with assorted cats, a number of squirrels, birds, raccoons, skunks, opossums, and woodchucks visiting our very small yard. As of 2011, I have 27 novels in print, one short story collection, one comic book arc ("White Tiger: A Hero's Compulsion") co-written with Tim, and a short story anthology co-editing credit. There's more to come, including a companion book to the Tortall `verse. So stay tuned!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 377 reviews
July 30, 2015
Dudes. This book is MESSED UP. I kind of can’t even believe how disturbing it is.
I mean, I’m positive that I’ve read books where more objectively disturbing things have happened, but there’s something about the combination of what happens in this book mixed in with the fact that it takes place in a book aimed at pre-teens, and also, just the way she structures it so that it completely messes with your head . . .
Cold Fire is the third book in the second series set in Tamora Pierce’s Emelan world, featuring ambient mages Sandry, Briar, Tris and Daja. Each book in this series has followed one of the youngins as they travel the world with their mentors and each come across a new student to mentor, and a danger they must overcome. They are sort of formulaic, which is something I’ve struggled with. But at the same time, the last book was so well written, and this one was, too, and the fact it’s NIGHTMARE FUEL sort of sets it apart despite that formula existing.
This book belongs to Daja. She and Frostpine are chilling up in the north with his childhood friends, while Daja learns new things and such. It’s their twin daughters she ends up tutoring, but they are barely a focus. Daja strikes up a friendship with local widower Bennat Ladradun that is really the center of the book. He trained with a famous fire mage, and even though he has no magical powers, has made it his mission to practice and teach fire safety to all the villages in the area. He’s seen as something of a local hero, especially since his wife and child died in a fire years before. Their stories intertwine as a series of fires begin devastating the area, which is mostly made up wooden buildings.
SPOILERS AHOY: Please turn back now and don’t read the next paragraph if you don’t want to be entirely spoiled while I work out my feelings about this book.
OKAY, SPOILERS GONE. You are safe, chickens.
This is a standout book in this series just because it does some things I’ve never seen before in children’s fiction. And maybe it shouldn’t? Nah. Anyway, so creepy. But interesting and engaging. The first book in this series was so ‘meh,’ but books two and three have made up for it. Hopefully Shatterglass (Tris’s book) isn’t as creepy as this one, but just as good.
I mean, I’m positive that I’ve read books where more objectively disturbing things have happened, but there’s something about the combination of what happens in this book mixed in with the fact that it takes place in a book aimed at pre-teens, and also, just the way she structures it so that it completely messes with your head . . .
Cold Fire is the third book in the second series set in Tamora Pierce’s Emelan world, featuring ambient mages Sandry, Briar, Tris and Daja. Each book in this series has followed one of the youngins as they travel the world with their mentors and each come across a new student to mentor, and a danger they must overcome. They are sort of formulaic, which is something I’ve struggled with. But at the same time, the last book was so well written, and this one was, too, and the fact it’s NIGHTMARE FUEL sort of sets it apart despite that formula existing.
This book belongs to Daja. She and Frostpine are chilling up in the north with his childhood friends, while Daja learns new things and such. It’s their twin daughters she ends up tutoring, but they are barely a focus. Daja strikes up a friendship with local widower Bennat Ladradun that is really the center of the book. He trained with a famous fire mage, and even though he has no magical powers, has made it his mission to practice and teach fire safety to all the villages in the area. He’s seen as something of a local hero, especially since his wife and child died in a fire years before. Their stories intertwine as a series of fires begin devastating the area, which is mostly made up wooden buildings.
SPOILERS AHOY: Please turn back now and don’t read the next paragraph if you don’t want to be entirely spoiled while I work out my feelings about this book.
OKAY, SPOILERS GONE. You are safe, chickens.
This is a standout book in this series just because it does some things I’ve never seen before in children’s fiction. And maybe it shouldn’t? Nah. Anyway, so creepy. But interesting and engaging. The first book in this series was so ‘meh,’ but books two and three have made up for it. Hopefully Shatterglass (Tris’s book) isn’t as creepy as this one, but just as good.
May 17, 2014
I love Daja, and I was hoping I'd love this book, but it was almost like Pierce just couldn't be bothered to write something engaging. This book is more about Ben than it is about Daja -- she's strangely absent from her own story, despite the fact that we spend so much time with her. The strong point about Street Magic was the relationship between Briar and Evvy; similarly, the weak point of this book was the lack of relationship between Daja and Jory, or Daja and Nia. None of the ancillary characters in Cold Fire really felt like people. Jory and Nia were thin veneers of personality over cardboard cutouts, and though Olennika and Heluda had the chance to be awesome, they really weren't in the book often enough to be interesting.
The plot itself was plodding -- this is the longest of the series thus far (though as I understand Shatterglass is longer) though it's hard to understand why. Right before the very climax of the book we have like, five pages of Daja just traveling and thinking, which totally ruins the pace of the action. I also would love to see Daja get stories that focus more on, you know, smithing, rather than fire. I think part of the strength of Briar and Sandry is their affinity for their crafts. Unfortunately, Daja's storylines always involve her fighting against fires which leaves a lot less room for her actual character to unfold and grow.
Overall, Cold Fire really reads like Tamora Pierce just didn't care. The book was awful, and torture to read. Daja's a great character, and she deserves better.
The plot itself was plodding -- this is the longest of the series thus far (though as I understand Shatterglass is longer) though it's hard to understand why. Right before the very climax of the book we have like, five pages of Daja just traveling and thinking, which totally ruins the pace of the action. I also would love to see Daja get stories that focus more on, you know, smithing, rather than fire. I think part of the strength of Briar and Sandry is their affinity for their crafts. Unfortunately, Daja's storylines always involve her fighting against fires which leaves a lot less room for her actual character to unfold and grow.
Overall, Cold Fire really reads like Tamora Pierce just didn't care. The book was awful, and torture to read. Daja's a great character, and she deserves better.
October 25, 2023
4.5 stars rounded up
Mostly fantastic- an older Daja dealing with an arsonist and teaching her first students while learning how to ice skate. Like the rest of this quartet this gets a bit dark but it's really good.
Mostly fantastic- an older Daja dealing with an arsonist and teaching her first students while learning how to ice skate. Like the rest of this quartet this gets a bit dark but it's really good.
August 24, 2025
✰ 3 stars ✰
It's as the expression goes, 'this was okay'. 😔 Not that I don't like Daja, but - even when the stakes were high - I mean, someone is deliberately setting fires to create a point of its destructiveness! - I never really got a sense of danger or fear, or even the guilt that weighed on Daja for her inadvertent participation in fueling the flames. It never really gripped me; maybe because there was no real element of surprise or a palpable feel to the evilness. 🙍🏻♀️
On top of that, her first attempt at becoming a master of her own to not one, but two future mages - twin sisters Nia and Jory - felt lackluster compared to Sandry and Briar. Perhaps the novelty has worn off, so it felt rather redundant. 😮💨 'All I know about fire comes from my magic. Even if Frostpine did commend her on her patience and knack for teaching, the interactions felt stale. 🙎🏻♀️
“He feared that it would be a frightful one, but they had to learn that fire exacted a frightful price.”
The villain - this was a different take on being a madman; for I thought it was interesting how Daja wanted to still believe in the good of the madness that she couldn't quite believe existed beneath the veneer of goodness and heroism. 👨🏻🚒 An example of Cold Fire that actually burned her blood for the lack of conscience and how mad men become desperate in proving their own worth by hurting others. 🎇
Something as uncontrollable as fire could be tamed to hurt others was something Daja could not fathom, when she herself has the capability to harness it and other materials to her own will. 🔥 It was that malicious intent that made her make a stand of righteousness, even at the cost of bearing a cloak of disappointment or resignation. She was admirable in her strength and courage and resolve, as well as her fierce resilience to use her abilities for good - rather than harm. ❤️🩹
“Who was she to say what punishment was right? Anyone who used fire this way must be mad beyond question, mad and pitiful.”
It is still a strong coming-of-age for Daja; for her to truly realize the difference between good and evil, to witness death and ruthlessness without remorse, and how she has to shoulder the responsibility without being swayed by her emotions. 🥺 The description of the flames was palpable and I always enjoy how the author captures the dynamic between their mentors - in this case, Frostpine, who also carried his own weight of tempering the flames. 🧙🏾
It is nice to see each of the disciples spreading their wings and making their marks in other lands. but as much as it was an easy read, I didn't quite get the same spark or feel to the story or characters as its predecessors. Even if the writing was still on its usual calibre. 🤷🏻♀️ Maybe I'm just missing all four of the foster-siblings together, just as much they're missing each other while on their traveling adventures with their masters. 😞
“ — he said that about lots of things, storms, forest fires, tidal waves. They reach a point of strength, and even the most powerful mages can’t stop them. The best you can do is shift them.”
It's as the expression goes, 'this was okay'. 😔 Not that I don't like Daja, but - even when the stakes were high - I mean, someone is deliberately setting fires to create a point of its destructiveness! - I never really got a sense of danger or fear, or even the guilt that weighed on Daja for her inadvertent participation in fueling the flames. It never really gripped me; maybe because there was no real element of surprise or a palpable feel to the evilness. 🙍🏻♀️
On top of that, her first attempt at becoming a master of her own to not one, but two future mages - twin sisters Nia and Jory - felt lackluster compared to Sandry and Briar. Perhaps the novelty has worn off, so it felt rather redundant. 😮💨 'All I know about fire comes from my magic. Even if Frostpine did commend her on her patience and knack for teaching, the interactions felt stale. 🙎🏻♀️
“He feared that it would be a frightful one, but they had to learn that fire exacted a frightful price.”
The villain - this was a different take on being a madman; for I thought it was interesting how Daja wanted to still believe in the good of the madness that she couldn't quite believe existed beneath the veneer of goodness and heroism. 👨🏻🚒 An example of Cold Fire that actually burned her blood for the lack of conscience and how mad men become desperate in proving their own worth by hurting others. 🎇
Something as uncontrollable as fire could be tamed to hurt others was something Daja could not fathom, when she herself has the capability to harness it and other materials to her own will. 🔥 It was that malicious intent that made her make a stand of righteousness, even at the cost of bearing a cloak of disappointment or resignation. She was admirable in her strength and courage and resolve, as well as her fierce resilience to use her abilities for good - rather than harm. ❤️🩹
“Who was she to say what punishment was right? Anyone who used fire this way must be mad beyond question, mad and pitiful.”
It is still a strong coming-of-age for Daja; for her to truly realize the difference between good and evil, to witness death and ruthlessness without remorse, and how she has to shoulder the responsibility without being swayed by her emotions. 🥺 The description of the flames was palpable and I always enjoy how the author captures the dynamic between their mentors - in this case, Frostpine, who also carried his own weight of tempering the flames. 🧙🏾
It is nice to see each of the disciples spreading their wings and making their marks in other lands. but as much as it was an easy read, I didn't quite get the same spark or feel to the story or characters as its predecessors. Even if the writing was still on its usual calibre. 🤷🏻♀️ Maybe I'm just missing all four of the foster-siblings together, just as much they're missing each other while on their traveling adventures with their masters. 😞
January 17, 2022
Daja and Frostpine, metalsmiths and lovers of heat, have decided to spend winter in the coldest place they could find for some, unexplained reason. They encounter young twin girls with undiscovered ambient magic and a heroic man who has taught the town to fight fires after losing his family to one. And... that's about it.
Daja witnesses Jory performing magic while she's cooking surprised that no one had mentioned she had any magic. Finding out that Jory and her family had no idea, and knowing that if one twin has magic then the other does too, she spends a few days teaching them to meditate and finding them teachers. Similar to Magic Steps , she's a pretty hands-off teacher, but in this case, I'm don't blame her; Jory is a nightmare. There is not one redeeming quality in her. She isn't even nice to Nia, who is a lovely person and has been bullied into submission by her twin. Not much happens here.
Daja is obsessed with Ben and his tragic history and how he's come to help the town. She dreams of creating a fireproof suit for him so he can do more good deeds in this town foolishly built out of wood. It's fairly evident early on why she shouldn't be so enamoured by this increasingly creepy man, but she refuses to use her common sense or logic until she is forced to by others.
Frostpine is wonderful as usual but sadly mostly absent throughout the story. He has his own crime-solving to focus on, and when he is around he's usually just complaining about how cold it is. My biggest pet peeve in Cold Fire is how scared everyone seems to be of magic. It's not like this is a world where it's rare or unheard of, why does everyone have to freak out whenever Daja or Frostpine actually performs magic?
Overall, the story here is quite horrifying, it's just overshadowed by a lot of nonsense that I couldn't really bring myself to care about.
Other books in the Circle Opens series:
#1: Magic Steps ⭐⭐
#2: Street Magic ⭐⭐⭐
#4: Shatterglass ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Other books in the Emelan Universe:
#1: Sandry’s Book ⭐⭐⭐
#2: Tris’s Book ⭐⭐⭐
#3: Daja’s Book ⭐⭐⭐
#4: Briar’s Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#5: Magic Steps ⭐⭐
#6: Street Magic ⭐⭐⭐
#8: Shatterglass ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#9: The Will of the Empress ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#10: Melting Stones ⭐⭐
#11: Battle Magic ⭐⭐⭐
Daja witnesses Jory performing magic while she's cooking surprised that no one had mentioned she had any magic. Finding out that Jory and her family had no idea, and knowing that if one twin has magic then the other does too, she spends a few days teaching them to meditate and finding them teachers. Similar to Magic Steps , she's a pretty hands-off teacher, but in this case, I'm don't blame her; Jory is a nightmare. There is not one redeeming quality in her. She isn't even nice to Nia, who is a lovely person and has been bullied into submission by her twin. Not much happens here.
Daja is obsessed with Ben and his tragic history and how he's come to help the town. She dreams of creating a fireproof suit for him so he can do more good deeds in this town foolishly built out of wood. It's fairly evident early on why she shouldn't be so enamoured by this increasingly creepy man, but she refuses to use her common sense or logic until she is forced to by others.
Frostpine is wonderful as usual but sadly mostly absent throughout the story. He has his own crime-solving to focus on, and when he is around he's usually just complaining about how cold it is. My biggest pet peeve in Cold Fire is how scared everyone seems to be of magic. It's not like this is a world where it's rare or unheard of, why does everyone have to freak out whenever Daja or Frostpine actually performs magic?
Overall, the story here is quite horrifying, it's just overshadowed by a lot of nonsense that I couldn't really bring myself to care about.
Other books in the Circle Opens series:
#1: Magic Steps ⭐⭐
#2: Street Magic ⭐⭐⭐
#4: Shatterglass ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Other books in the Emelan Universe:
#1: Sandry’s Book ⭐⭐⭐
#2: Tris’s Book ⭐⭐⭐
#3: Daja’s Book ⭐⭐⭐
#4: Briar’s Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#5: Magic Steps ⭐⭐
#6: Street Magic ⭐⭐⭐
#8: Shatterglass ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#9: The Will of the Empress ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#10: Melting Stones ⭐⭐
#11: Battle Magic ⭐⭐⭐
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April 26, 2012
2.5. This book is not nearly as strong as the first two of the series. I really liked the world presented, and thought a lot of things had potential, but...
But I really disliked Pierce's choice to narrate the story from just two perspectives: Daja's and--well, you'll find out--leaving out narration from the young mages Daja discovers. While we've had narration from the "bad guys" before, they were always secondary to the narration of Sandry and Pasco, then Briar and Evvy. In Cold Fire we don't get narration from the students, Jory and Nia, and the book struggled because of it.
Really, the absence of Jory and Nia's narration is symptomatic of a larger problem, which is that Jory and Nia's involvement in the larger plot is minimal, at best. The big plot issue is tracking down an arsonist. Unlike in the other books of the series, Jory and Nia are completely unimportant when it comes to solving the crime.
More spoilers...
The long and short of it is that it's an interesting city Daja and Frostpine find themselves in, but the plot itself is weakly constructed. Too many disparate elements that have nothing to do with each other. I miss the togetherness of the previous books.
But I really disliked Pierce's choice to narrate the story from just two perspectives: Daja's and--well, you'll find out--leaving out narration from the young mages Daja discovers. While we've had narration from the "bad guys" before, they were always secondary to the narration of Sandry and Pasco, then Briar and Evvy. In Cold Fire we don't get narration from the students, Jory and Nia, and the book struggled because of it.
Really, the absence of Jory and Nia's narration is symptomatic of a larger problem, which is that Jory and Nia's involvement in the larger plot is minimal, at best. The big plot issue is tracking down an arsonist. Unlike in the other books of the series, Jory and Nia are completely unimportant when it comes to solving the crime.
More spoilers...
The long and short of it is that it's an interesting city Daja and Frostpine find themselves in, but the plot itself is weakly constructed. Too many disparate elements that have nothing to do with each other. I miss the togetherness of the previous books.
May 16, 2018
I used my study hall to finish this rather than my math homework because I have my priorities straight. Those priorities are Daja Kisubo.
I think I'm just really enjoying the grounded, sensible magic of this universe being explored as the characters journey out into the world away from their familiar home! Magic Steps wasn't as big of a change because Sandry was close enough to Winding Circle to visit, but Street Magic and Cold Fire both showed us entirely different places and main characters who have to work at adapting to these places. It's interesting, it shows off a lot of untypical fantasy settings, and it makes the series as a whole more varied and fun.
And for Cold Fire in particular? I don't know, this was just a great experience. Unlike listening to the others in this series on audiobook over the course of a few weeks, I read this on paper and blew through it. It's full of such great contrasts between warm and cold — both literally, as Daja battles fires in the middle of an icy winter city, and figuratively, as the story bounces between the warm, loving comfort of Daja's host family and her mentor and then to the antagonist's icy lack of compassion (although it's more complicated than that). It goes quick and flows well.
Through it all, Daja remains a great protagonist. Sensible, proud, but still a kid, she learns a lesson about trust and where to place it at the same time that she teaches two very different young mages. It's enjoyable seeing the teaching styles each of the circle kids choose as they find their students, and Daja's is particularly fun since she has two. My only regret is that we don't get to see much of the young mages' magics the way we got to see Evy's magic so much in Street Magic.
The Emelan universe truly is great.
I think I'm just really enjoying the grounded, sensible magic of this universe being explored as the characters journey out into the world away from their familiar home! Magic Steps wasn't as big of a change because Sandry was close enough to Winding Circle to visit, but Street Magic and Cold Fire both showed us entirely different places and main characters who have to work at adapting to these places. It's interesting, it shows off a lot of untypical fantasy settings, and it makes the series as a whole more varied and fun.
And for Cold Fire in particular? I don't know, this was just a great experience. Unlike listening to the others in this series on audiobook over the course of a few weeks, I read this on paper and blew through it. It's full of such great contrasts between warm and cold — both literally, as Daja battles fires in the middle of an icy winter city, and figuratively, as the story bounces between the warm, loving comfort of Daja's host family and her mentor and then to the antagonist's icy lack of compassion (although it's more complicated than that). It goes quick and flows well.
Through it all, Daja remains a great protagonist. Sensible, proud, but still a kid, she learns a lesson about trust and where to place it at the same time that she teaches two very different young mages. It's enjoyable seeing the teaching styles each of the circle kids choose as they find their students, and Daja's is particularly fun since she has two. My only regret is that we don't get to see much of the young mages' magics the way we got to see Evy's magic so much in Street Magic.
The Emelan universe truly is great.
June 4, 2017
Quick GR Review
Cold Fire reads on the slow side. The first half is more character driven, and the plot keeps a low profile until the second half. The second half is great. Daja is a sturdy, considerate character, but is too "normal" for my taste. At least she has her magic and willingness to dive into flames going for her. Some of those scenes are epic. But in between the story lags. The setting is like a winter romance, complete with scenes with hearths, ice skating, and horse sleighs. The characters build a tight-nit community and Christmas-y warmth in their homes. I wish Frostpine, Daja's mentor, was more prominent.
Daja and Frostpine stay at the home of one of Frostpine's old friends. Two of the daughters are twins and not much younger than Daja, so they hang out. Daja catches one of them using magic and must teach her meditation to control her magic. Naturally, the twin has magic too, so Daja has two students. In addition to meditation she must find them teachers with the same type of magic. In between this work she designs a pair of fire-proof gloves for a fire-fighting friend.
But Kugisko doesn't stay peaceful. An arson is one the loose, and Daja's fire magic is ideal for saving people caught in buildings, for discerning how the fire got started, and who did it.
Full Review
In Kugisko, people ride sleighs and skate to get around the port of the city's islands. Daja is a fire mage, and stays in Kugisko during a winter riddled with arson. Many characters behave convincingly opposite of who they really are. As befitting a world and plot of oxymorons, Tamora Pierce dubbed this novel "Cold Fire."
Early in the winter, Daja and her mentor, Frostpine, take residence with the family of one of Frostpine's old friends. The family has four children, but the oldest twice girls teach Daja how to skate. Before long Daja notices they have magic, and it's her job to teach them meditation and find them instructors with the same kinds of magic. Like the other books in this series, the main character's mentor becomes unavailable. In Frostpine's case, he chases a coin counterfeiter.
Before long, Pierce introduces fire. All of the city's buildings are made of wood, besides those belonging to the wealthiest and most politically important. Fire happens. Fire happens less often thanks to a man that trains the city's servants how to fight the flames. Despite their efforts, fire becomes a major problem this winter. Daja seeks to help by crafting fire-resistant gloves for a firefighting friend, and sometimes by getting directly involved herself.
My library doesn't have the first three of The Magic Circle series, including Daja's Book, so this was my first look at Daja's character. Quickly I drew connections between her, her mentor Frostpine, and their dynamic to that of Keladry and Raoul from the author's Protector of the Small series. Incidentally, the Protector of the Small was published snugly in the years between the first book Daja appeared in--Sandry's Book--and Cold Fire. It would seem Tamora Pierce took a liking to the steadfast personality type. Also, compared to the other mentors in The Circle Opens series, Frostpine actually gets involved with the plot. Perhaps Pierce can't get enough of him. I don't mind.
Cold Fire reads more like book one of the series than books two and four. The story progresses slowly, and dare I say Sandry and Daja are more ordinary in temperament than Briar and Tris. Sandry and Daja also partake in stories that have the mentorship of newly found students and the actual plot on two mostly separate lines. Briar and Tris had students that were more directly involved with the plot, and certainly this showed early on. Maybe it's merely the difference between character-leaning drive versus plot-leaning drive, but I prefer the Briar and Tris books more. The involvement made the stories more intimate and emotionally intense.
Daja is dutiful. She does all the practical and honorable things others expect of her and she expects of herself. Usually I like these kinds of characters. Maybe it's because the plot was drawn out and the first half or so was more daily activities--even placing mage students with mages seemed as mundane as taking a real life student to talk to teachers--but Daja seemed boring. At least Keladry, from my comparison to another series, has lofty goals, awkward humor, and had a knack for disrupting routines and perceptions of other.
I think Daja was meant to exemplify the ordinary: Trader, works with hammers (what's more ordinary than smithing?), complies with social norms, almost always keeps quiet about her mage license. She dislikes how others treat her due to her age, but her tone sounds cool--not as heated as other Pierce characters. Daja does meet the goal of portraying an ordinary person, just caught in a magical story.
What I love about Daja though is, as a firefighter put it, she "firewalks." Often. She gets really confident with it during the course of the story. Somehow Pierce makes every firewalk incredible and not seeming like, "Oh, this type of scene again." There's no monotony.
This is a major reason why the second half of the book picks up. That, and midway is when the characters become aware random events are a part of a plot. Essentially, the first half is the character drive and world building, and the second half is the plot.
A lot of popular authors do this. I don't particularly care that method--I prefer to meld it all smoothly together--but certainly others love it, or the first Harry Potter wouldn't have done well, or Kristen Britain's fourth and fifth books wouldn't have sold, or, let's face it, the Hunger Games of The Hunger Games didn't start until half way. Given these examples, I'd say stories that need good world building often spend the first half with immersion and diluted plot elements.
Overall enjoyable. Kigusko is a unique creation--one, I assume, has a lot of fresh water leave the river into the port and sea, is extremely north, or has brutally cold air and ocean currents to create the reliably frozen canals. Something about winter scenes, Nordic house styles, families by the hearth, and ice skating is homely and peaceful to read about. Daja is like an older sister teaching her younger sisters meditation and helps the neighbors (from fire). Frostpine is like a quirky uncle who favors the oldest sister. The story flows slowly, but has a distinct feel that kept me interested enough to read to the end.
Cold Fire reads on the slow side. The first half is more character driven, and the plot keeps a low profile until the second half. The second half is great. Daja is a sturdy, considerate character, but is too "normal" for my taste. At least she has her magic and willingness to dive into flames going for her. Some of those scenes are epic. But in between the story lags. The setting is like a winter romance, complete with scenes with hearths, ice skating, and horse sleighs. The characters build a tight-nit community and Christmas-y warmth in their homes. I wish Frostpine, Daja's mentor, was more prominent.
Daja and Frostpine stay at the home of one of Frostpine's old friends. Two of the daughters are twins and not much younger than Daja, so they hang out. Daja catches one of them using magic and must teach her meditation to control her magic. Naturally, the twin has magic too, so Daja has two students. In addition to meditation she must find them teachers with the same type of magic. In between this work she designs a pair of fire-proof gloves for a fire-fighting friend.
But Kugisko doesn't stay peaceful. An arson is one the loose, and Daja's fire magic is ideal for saving people caught in buildings, for discerning how the fire got started, and who did it.
Full Review
In Kugisko, people ride sleighs and skate to get around the port of the city's islands. Daja is a fire mage, and stays in Kugisko during a winter riddled with arson. Many characters behave convincingly opposite of who they really are. As befitting a world and plot of oxymorons, Tamora Pierce dubbed this novel "Cold Fire."
Early in the winter, Daja and her mentor, Frostpine, take residence with the family of one of Frostpine's old friends. The family has four children, but the oldest twice girls teach Daja how to skate. Before long Daja notices they have magic, and it's her job to teach them meditation and find them instructors with the same kinds of magic. Like the other books in this series, the main character's mentor becomes unavailable. In Frostpine's case, he chases a coin counterfeiter.
Before long, Pierce introduces fire. All of the city's buildings are made of wood, besides those belonging to the wealthiest and most politically important. Fire happens. Fire happens less often thanks to a man that trains the city's servants how to fight the flames. Despite their efforts, fire becomes a major problem this winter. Daja seeks to help by crafting fire-resistant gloves for a firefighting friend, and sometimes by getting directly involved herself.
My library doesn't have the first three of The Magic Circle series, including Daja's Book, so this was my first look at Daja's character. Quickly I drew connections between her, her mentor Frostpine, and their dynamic to that of Keladry and Raoul from the author's Protector of the Small series. Incidentally, the Protector of the Small was published snugly in the years between the first book Daja appeared in--Sandry's Book--and Cold Fire. It would seem Tamora Pierce took a liking to the steadfast personality type. Also, compared to the other mentors in The Circle Opens series, Frostpine actually gets involved with the plot. Perhaps Pierce can't get enough of him. I don't mind.
Cold Fire reads more like book one of the series than books two and four. The story progresses slowly, and dare I say Sandry and Daja are more ordinary in temperament than Briar and Tris. Sandry and Daja also partake in stories that have the mentorship of newly found students and the actual plot on two mostly separate lines. Briar and Tris had students that were more directly involved with the plot, and certainly this showed early on. Maybe it's merely the difference between character-leaning drive versus plot-leaning drive, but I prefer the Briar and Tris books more. The involvement made the stories more intimate and emotionally intense.
Daja is dutiful. She does all the practical and honorable things others expect of her and she expects of herself. Usually I like these kinds of characters. Maybe it's because the plot was drawn out and the first half or so was more daily activities--even placing mage students with mages seemed as mundane as taking a real life student to talk to teachers--but Daja seemed boring. At least Keladry, from my comparison to another series, has lofty goals, awkward humor, and had a knack for disrupting routines and perceptions of other.
I think Daja was meant to exemplify the ordinary: Trader, works with hammers (what's more ordinary than smithing?), complies with social norms, almost always keeps quiet about her mage license. She dislikes how others treat her due to her age, but her tone sounds cool--not as heated as other Pierce characters. Daja does meet the goal of portraying an ordinary person, just caught in a magical story.
What I love about Daja though is, as a firefighter put it, she "firewalks." Often. She gets really confident with it during the course of the story. Somehow Pierce makes every firewalk incredible and not seeming like, "Oh, this type of scene again." There's no monotony.
This is a major reason why the second half of the book picks up. That, and midway is when the characters become aware random events are a part of a plot. Essentially, the first half is the character drive and world building, and the second half is the plot.
A lot of popular authors do this. I don't particularly care that method--I prefer to meld it all smoothly together--but certainly others love it, or the first Harry Potter wouldn't have done well, or Kristen Britain's fourth and fifth books wouldn't have sold, or, let's face it, the Hunger Games of The Hunger Games didn't start until half way. Given these examples, I'd say stories that need good world building often spend the first half with immersion and diluted plot elements.
Overall enjoyable. Kigusko is a unique creation--one, I assume, has a lot of fresh water leave the river into the port and sea, is extremely north, or has brutally cold air and ocean currents to create the reliably frozen canals. Something about winter scenes, Nordic house styles, families by the hearth, and ice skating is homely and peaceful to read about. Daja is like an older sister teaching her younger sisters meditation and helps the neighbors (from fire). Frostpine is like a quirky uncle who favors the oldest sister. The story flows slowly, but has a distinct feel that kept me interested enough to read to the end.
September 7, 2021
We find Daja in Namon - a place so cold that the primary form of travel is ice skating for much of the year. Daja is completely caught up in helping the twins, whose magic she just discovered, to harness and control their powers when house fires begin to mysteriously become more and more frequent. She begins to work closely with local firefighting expert, Bennat Ladradun, to find the fire bug responsible for these heinous acts but will her search lead Daja to something she is not prepared to face?
I have honestly lost count of how many times I've read and reread this series. I keep trying to remember but it's just not happening. I won't lie to you - this one tore me up pretty bad. I hurt so much for Daja every time I read this one and it never gets any better. Wonderfully done, wonderfully heartbreaking. Definitely recommended.
I have honestly lost count of how many times I've read and reread this series. I keep trying to remember but it's just not happening. I won't lie to you - this one tore me up pretty bad. I hurt so much for Daja every time I read this one and it never gets any better. Wonderfully done, wonderfully heartbreaking. Definitely recommended.
September 1, 2016
Daja and Frostpine are working in the snowy city of Kugisko when a rash of devastating fires breaks out. The structure of this quartet remains formulaic, but this installment is surprisingly good. The setting, fire against snow in a well-defined woodworked city, is evocative; the plot is simplistic but the characters are not--gracelessly in the antagonist's case, but the supporting cast is strong. The nostalgia is toned down and the themes of maturation are less clear-cut, which gives Daja room to shine instead of slotting her into the series's formula. I still don't love this quartet, but this is one of its better installments.
August 30, 2015
Third in The Circle Opens fantasy series for middle-grade readers and seventh in the Emelan Universe revolving around four magically gifted children. The focus in Cold Fire is on Daja as she travels with Frostpine through the empire of Namorn. They are currently staying in Kugisko on Kadsaep Island.
If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Emelan books on my website.
My Take
It begins with a metaphor: Daja learning to skate. A skill that's new to her just as learning meditation and magic will be new to Nia and Jory.
I do enjoy Pierce's writing — I haven't yet read a book of hers that I didn't like. Parents will appreciate the moral lessons that Pierce imparts with a very light hand. Kids will appreciate the fun, fantasy, and adventures. Parents of twins may also find this useful as Nia and Jory may look alike but their temperaments and skills are completely different.
Cold Fire involves heroic bad guys as well as good guys and girls. The host family is a treat with Mom and Dad strict yet giving parents. They insist on the children learning, but they are flexible enough to adjust to the potential of their girls.
One of the many positives is Daja's wanting to create something new. A firesuit that will help Ben battle the fires that crop up around town and allow him to more easily save people. There is one particular incident with Frostpine that will crack up the kids with its absurdity. Poor Frostpine is so cold in Kugisko, that one day he takes off all his clothes and sits in the fire to warm up. Good thing he's a fire mage!!
On the negative side, it can be a hard story with the deaths the arsonist causes, and the death that awaits the guilty party at the end.
It doesn't take long to come to the conflict in the story. It is horrible. A firebug who wants praise and goes after it in the most reprehensible way. Glorying in the power of death over life. And Ben's mother is a NIGHTMARE! I reckon even story parents should be licensed before being able to have babies! Her son goes mute and wooden when she's around. The servants wear dull garb, get little to eat, and are whipped much too often. She counts out each grain of food and each splinter of wood. She is a master of insulting through supposed compliments.
Cold Fire is a lesson in control, of letting go, of being respectful to others, of acceptance.
The Story
Ladradun is a true hero in Daja's eyes. Brave enough to run into a burning building with no ability other than courage. It's this intrepid act that inspires Daja to create fire gauntlets and think deep about a firesuit.
That's the fun part of their stay. The not-so fun is when Daja discovers two young mages and learns she must teach them how to handle their abilities! It's the price she must pay for being taught her own magic.
The bad is a string of fires that plague Kugisko. Someone is setting bigger and bigger fires, and people are dying.
The Characters
Daja Kisubo is traveling with her mentor, the firemage Frostpine, to learn new techniques — and to take her mind off her friends who are also traveling.
Kolborn, a merchant, and Matazi Bancanor, his wife and a former seamstress, are the family who are hosting Daja and Frostpine. Kol is the head of the Kugisko Goldsmiths' Guild which controls the city's banks and one of Frostpine's friends from school. Niamara and Jorality "Jory" are their twelve-year-old twins who have been told they have no magic. Peigi is the eight-year-old. Eidart is a son. Anyussa is the Bancanor cook. Serg is the footman.
Bennat Ladradun, a non-mage, is one of the island merchants, of House Ladradun. He learned about fire at Godsforge's knee and, thankfully, has brought firefighting techniques home to the wooden city of Kigusko. Yulanny is one of the Ladradun maids. Kofrinna is the wife who died along with their children. Ravvi Morrachane Ladradun is Ben's mother and a right bitch. Cheap, mean, and nasty whose mere presence causes those around her to become wooden. The Alakut Island brigade does a terrible job.
The Mages' Society
Heluda Salt is the magistrate's mage. Master Northice is the head of the society and thinks all women are beautiful. Camoc Oakborn is a wood- and carpentry-mage with a prosperous woodworking shop. He's one of those who accepts Daja as a proper mage. Arnen is a senior-mage student. Other carpentry-mages include Ashstaff and Beechbranch. Olennika Potcracker in Blackfly Bog is the best cook-mage (she was once the Empress' personal cook!) and runs a hospital kitchen — Yogiry's Hospital — for the poor.
Domanus Moykep is the head of a ship-building family. His youngest son's boys need wives. It's their stable that burns down. Gruzha is a blind girl trapped in a burning boardinghouse. Teraud Voskajo may be an ugly man, but he is also the kindest and the leader of the smith's guild. Nushenya is his wife. Eoban is a very rude guest at a party. Olaksan Jossaryk's house also goes up in flames. Lisl is one of the many children there. Olaksan's wife, Chiora, is Romachko Skuretty's mistress. Romachko Skuretty is the head of the council who turned down a request for funds.
Pawel Godsforge is a renowned fire-mage. Ambient magic is a magic that is already in things. Viymese is a Namornese term for a female mage. The First Dedicate of the Fire temple in Winding Circle was once a general named Skyfire. It's his form of meditation that Daja adopts for Jory.
Yogiry is a goddess in Namorn; Griantein is a god of warmth and light. Vrohain the Judge is a god of justice. Qunoc is the mother of the earth and its seed while Baion is the god of killing ice. Eilig is the goddess of spring and freedom.
The Cover and Title
The cover is coolly warm as Daja skates across the gray frozen ice, a fireball in her hand while a fire claims a distant house that night.
The title is a blend of the Namornese winter, Daja's gift, and the string of arson fires that beset Kugisko that winter in its Cold Fire.
If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the Emelan books on my website.
My Take
It begins with a metaphor: Daja learning to skate. A skill that's new to her just as learning meditation and magic will be new to Nia and Jory.
I do enjoy Pierce's writing — I haven't yet read a book of hers that I didn't like. Parents will appreciate the moral lessons that Pierce imparts with a very light hand. Kids will appreciate the fun, fantasy, and adventures. Parents of twins may also find this useful as Nia and Jory may look alike but their temperaments and skills are completely different.
Cold Fire involves heroic bad guys as well as good guys and girls. The host family is a treat with Mom and Dad strict yet giving parents. They insist on the children learning, but they are flexible enough to adjust to the potential of their girls.
One of the many positives is Daja's wanting to create something new. A firesuit that will help Ben battle the fires that crop up around town and allow him to more easily save people. There is one particular incident with Frostpine that will crack up the kids with its absurdity. Poor Frostpine is so cold in Kugisko, that one day he takes off all his clothes and sits in the fire to warm up. Good thing he's a fire mage!!
On the negative side, it can be a hard story with the deaths the arsonist causes, and the death that awaits the guilty party at the end.
It doesn't take long to come to the conflict in the story. It is horrible. A firebug who wants praise and goes after it in the most reprehensible way. Glorying in the power of death over life. And Ben's mother is a NIGHTMARE! I reckon even story parents should be licensed before being able to have babies! Her son goes mute and wooden when she's around. The servants wear dull garb, get little to eat, and are whipped much too often. She counts out each grain of food and each splinter of wood. She is a master of insulting through supposed compliments.
Cold Fire is a lesson in control, of letting go, of being respectful to others, of acceptance.
"That's what Traders do — we find roads, and we follow them.
Trader and Bookkeeper keep your balances high and your debts low."
The Story
Ladradun is a true hero in Daja's eyes. Brave enough to run into a burning building with no ability other than courage. It's this intrepid act that inspires Daja to create fire gauntlets and think deep about a firesuit.
That's the fun part of their stay. The not-so fun is when Daja discovers two young mages and learns she must teach them how to handle their abilities! It's the price she must pay for being taught her own magic.
The bad is a string of fires that plague Kugisko. Someone is setting bigger and bigger fires, and people are dying.
The Characters
Daja Kisubo is traveling with her mentor, the firemage Frostpine, to learn new techniques — and to take her mind off her friends who are also traveling.
Kolborn, a merchant, and Matazi Bancanor, his wife and a former seamstress, are the family who are hosting Daja and Frostpine. Kol is the head of the Kugisko Goldsmiths' Guild which controls the city's banks and one of Frostpine's friends from school. Niamara and Jorality "Jory" are their twelve-year-old twins who have been told they have no magic. Peigi is the eight-year-old. Eidart is a son. Anyussa is the Bancanor cook. Serg is the footman.
Bennat Ladradun, a non-mage, is one of the island merchants, of House Ladradun. He learned about fire at Godsforge's knee and, thankfully, has brought firefighting techniques home to the wooden city of Kigusko. Yulanny is one of the Ladradun maids. Kofrinna is the wife who died along with their children. Ravvi Morrachane Ladradun is Ben's mother and a right bitch. Cheap, mean, and nasty whose mere presence causes those around her to become wooden. The Alakut Island brigade does a terrible job.
The Mages' Society
Heluda Salt is the magistrate's mage. Master Northice is the head of the society and thinks all women are beautiful. Camoc Oakborn is a wood- and carpentry-mage with a prosperous woodworking shop. He's one of those who accepts Daja as a proper mage. Arnen is a senior-mage student. Other carpentry-mages include Ashstaff and Beechbranch. Olennika Potcracker in Blackfly Bog is the best cook-mage (she was once the Empress' personal cook!) and runs a hospital kitchen — Yogiry's Hospital — for the poor.
Domanus Moykep is the head of a ship-building family. His youngest son's boys need wives. It's their stable that burns down. Gruzha is a blind girl trapped in a burning boardinghouse. Teraud Voskajo may be an ugly man, but he is also the kindest and the leader of the smith's guild. Nushenya is his wife. Eoban is a very rude guest at a party. Olaksan Jossaryk's house also goes up in flames. Lisl is one of the many children there. Olaksan's wife, Chiora, is Romachko Skuretty's mistress. Romachko Skuretty is the head of the council who turned down a request for funds.
Pawel Godsforge is a renowned fire-mage. Ambient magic is a magic that is already in things. Viymese is a Namornese term for a female mage. The First Dedicate of the Fire temple in Winding Circle was once a general named Skyfire. It's his form of meditation that Daja adopts for Jory.
Yogiry is a goddess in Namorn; Griantein is a god of warmth and light. Vrohain the Judge is a god of justice. Qunoc is the mother of the earth and its seed while Baion is the god of killing ice. Eilig is the goddess of spring and freedom.
The Cover and Title
The cover is coolly warm as Daja skates across the gray frozen ice, a fireball in her hand while a fire claims a distant house that night.
The title is a blend of the Namornese winter, Daja's gift, and the string of arson fires that beset Kugisko that winter in its Cold Fire.
June 2, 2012
Hell. Yes.
Daja's book in the original Circle books was probably my favorite of the series, and her book in the second series is equally excellent. Just to give you some idea: I started this book when I got on the elliptical, and didn't get off until I was finished. Even for me, reading an entire novel takes awhile, but I was too wrapt to notice the time going by. That's how enthralling this book is.
Daja Kisubu and her teacher Frostpine have come to a series of islands to learn more metal magic. The islands are frozen most of the year, and Frostpine spends most of the book kvetching about the cold (even going so far as to meditate naked in the kitchen hearth fire, much to the kitchen staffs' amazement). Amusingly, it seems he chose his name without realizing quite how cold it gets where frostpines live. Daja is having the time of her life learning to iceskate and make metal filigree. Like the other members of the Circle, she stumbles upon an undiscovered ambient mage--and her equally magical twin sister. Unlike her friends, she manages to find teachers for their cooking and carpentry magic, but still takes on teaching them meditation. Unfortunately, what works for one twin is precisely the wrong method for the other, and vice versa. But Daja grits her teeth and bends to the task--even though it takes her away from her other interest, creating protective metal gloves for the city's head fire-fighter. Her work is particularly important, because an escalating series of fires has begun to strike the islands, and the firefighters and she are called upon to increasing heroics.
And wow, but Daja is a heroine for the ages.
review tbc
Daja's book in the original Circle books was probably my favorite of the series, and her book in the second series is equally excellent. Just to give you some idea: I started this book when I got on the elliptical, and didn't get off until I was finished. Even for me, reading an entire novel takes awhile, but I was too wrapt to notice the time going by. That's how enthralling this book is.
Daja Kisubu and her teacher Frostpine have come to a series of islands to learn more metal magic. The islands are frozen most of the year, and Frostpine spends most of the book kvetching about the cold (even going so far as to meditate naked in the kitchen hearth fire, much to the kitchen staffs' amazement). Amusingly, it seems he chose his name without realizing quite how cold it gets where frostpines live. Daja is having the time of her life learning to iceskate and make metal filigree. Like the other members of the Circle, she stumbles upon an undiscovered ambient mage--and her equally magical twin sister. Unlike her friends, she manages to find teachers for their cooking and carpentry magic, but still takes on teaching them meditation. Unfortunately, what works for one twin is precisely the wrong method for the other, and vice versa. But Daja grits her teeth and bends to the task--even though it takes her away from her other interest, creating protective metal gloves for the city's head fire-fighter. Her work is particularly important, because an escalating series of fires has begun to strike the islands, and the firefighters and she are called upon to increasing heroics.
And wow, but Daja is a heroine for the ages.
review tbc
August 25, 2015
UUUGGGHHH SO GOOD!! Warning for ~spoilers~
Despite their being somewhat one-dimensional, having two unapologetic lady villains in the previous two stories was refreshing. BUT it was really amazing for this story to complicate everything with a villain that started pretty morally grey and then descended into scary town, and all from his own POV. It was a good plot choice to let the reader know Ben's motives and processes before Daja did, my heart wrenched for her during every interaction. I also have really delighted in the choices made for each of the kids handling their respective antagonists. I was worried that this series was set up for the all the kids to "kill or be killed", but the scenarios have been more complex than that and each one handled deftly in respect to character and situation.
Despite their being somewhat one-dimensional, having two unapologetic lady villains in the previous two stories was refreshing. BUT it was really amazing for this story to complicate everything with a villain that started pretty morally grey and then descended into scary town, and all from his own POV. It was a good plot choice to let the reader know Ben's motives and processes before Daja did, my heart wrenched for her during every interaction. I also have really delighted in the choices made for each of the kids handling their respective antagonists. I was worried that this series was set up for the all the kids to "kill or be killed", but the scenarios have been more complex than that and each one handled deftly in respect to character and situation.
January 31, 2025
2025 reread: I really liked this book, but it’s definitely my least favorite of this series so far. It’s got slower pacing compared to the first two and it felt a little frustrating (at least to me). Especially when this book is centered around someone committing arson all over the city. I just wanted Daja to see all the little clues around her and listen to her gut. And Ben Ladrudun? I just wanted to kick him every single time he made an appearance 😡. I did really love Daja in her teaching endeavors though! She was such a great teacher to the twins, especially when she had to figure out two separate teaching methods for them. Cold Fire is getting four stars from me!
March 6, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. I like how Daja was receiving training on how to ice skate. I thought that is was funny how she would go crashing into the snowbank, and then melt all the snow with her body heat. I like how she realized that Jory and Nia had magic as well. I like how she was able to help the little village with their fire problems. I am glad that in the end they discovered who was setting the fires and that Daja was able to save them. I would rate this book 5 stars.
July 16, 2016
review to come :)
August 28, 2022
I hate it when characters you like turn out to be evil. Poor Daja. Ben was her friend! :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2019
Disappointing.
September 11, 2023
This one was a little slow paced for the first half, then got increasingly dramatic and disturbing. This series is an intense read for kids, so be mindful of age/maturity level, usually involving the main character eventually killing the major bad guy. (Brutally, seems to the be the series trend, also.)
December 19, 2016
I like Daja and Frostpine a lot, and Olennika and Heluda are interesting, but there's not ENOUGH of Daja here. Too much focus on the antagonist (who at least is probably the most multi-dimensional antagonist of this series so far), not enough on Daja. Which is a shame because she had so much potential but wasn't written in way to live up to that. The pacing is also fairly uneven and there's at least one continuity error.
Even worse, there's some pretty problematic stuff in this book.
There's a line about monsters raising monsters, i.e. abuse victims inevitably wind up to be as terrible as their abusers, which I STRONGLY disagree with. And mental illness is treated fairly poorly here in general. If it were clearer that these were just the opinions of the characters, rather than the author, I would let it slide, but it's not. There are ways to have your characters say and believe problematic things without implying that those beliefs are ok and Pierce didn't go any of those routes.
Also I'm incredibly tired of darker skin tones being compared to food and drink and it's done a lot here. It's gross and objectifying.
Daja deserved better.
Even worse, there's some pretty problematic stuff in this book.
There's a line about monsters raising monsters, i.e. abuse victims inevitably wind up to be as terrible as their abusers, which I STRONGLY disagree with. And mental illness is treated fairly poorly here in general. If it were clearer that these were just the opinions of the characters, rather than the author, I would let it slide, but it's not. There are ways to have your characters say and believe problematic things without implying that those beliefs are ok and Pierce didn't go any of those routes.
Also I'm incredibly tired of darker skin tones being compared to food and drink and it's done a lot here. It's gross and objectifying.
Daja deserved better.
March 1, 2009
I really liked the worldbuilding of the city (ice-skating on the frozen canals!) and the moral complexity of the story. And I love Daja, in general. I did not like the general skeeviness of Ben's relationship with Daja and the way that that wasn't really dealt with (not sure if that counts as a spoiler, but hiding anyway). I also wanted more development of the twins as characters––it felt like that part of the plot was kind of perfunctory, just thrown in because the framing of the series required Daja to have a student.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2016
This was a strange book with a still stranger - considering the story - dedication. It also lost a star in my rating here due to its poor treatment of mental illness and the implication (near statement) that people who were raised by abusers grow up to become abusers (or worse!) themselves.
November 16, 2017
I adore this series! You can see my series review on the blog.
October 22, 2018
In this book we got to see some of Daja's and Frostpine's adventures in a land that seems to be perpetually covered in ice and snow (...and learn that Frostpine really does NOT like the cold, which is rather counter-intuitive to his name. Who knew?) where it's Daja's turn to get a student... or two students rather ;D
I really love how in this series we're getting to see so many different types of intuitive magic, and getting to learn about the unique teaching styles of each of our original four (and honestly, being able to be a successful teacher at the age of 14? CONGRATS :|)
I felt so sorry for Daja in this book though, with all the fires happening here and her not being able to do much more than react as they were happening, . It would've been nice to be able to learn more about the backgrounds about her new friend and his family, as I did feel there was a bit missing . I thought that the defeat of the killer, and their subsequent was both well thought out and rather perfect for the situation. I was definitely horrified to think that and then find that and to have that end with felt very right. They were showing that even at the end they still felt for this guy, and that they were better than he was - even though he probably deserved it, they weren't going to make him go through ALL the pain and suffering he put his victims through.
All in all... really SOLID novel and I genuinely really enjoyed it. 4.5 / 5 c:
I really love how in this series we're getting to see so many different types of intuitive magic, and getting to learn about the unique teaching styles of each of our original four (and honestly, being able to be a successful teacher at the age of 14? CONGRATS :|)
I felt so sorry for Daja in this book though, with all the fires happening here and her not being able to do much more than react as they were happening, . It would've been nice to be able to learn more about the backgrounds about her new friend and his family, as I did feel there was a bit missing . I thought that the defeat of the killer, and their subsequent was both well thought out and rather perfect for the situation. I was definitely horrified to think that and then find that and to have that end with felt very right. They were showing that even at the end they still felt for this guy, and that they were better than he was - even though he probably deserved it, they weren't going to make him go through ALL the pain and suffering he put his victims through.
All in all... really SOLID novel and I genuinely really enjoyed it. 4.5 / 5 c:
March 19, 2020
I don't know what I expected going into this reread, but this book turned out to be my favorite of the whole series. This was a bit surprising since I don't have any particular memories about this book and Daja herself has never been my first choice (I'm a bit partial to Sandry's narration), but both of her books in the first two quartets were my favorites.
I think this book was just more well crafted than the other three. The friendships Daja made grew and developed throughout the story better than the new characters in any of the other three books. I really cared for her students and Ben, and I'm always partial to Frostpine. I also enjoyed the mystery/crime element. It exists to a degree in all these books, but I think it was explored best here. You know from the beginning who the arsonist is, but it doesn't affect the intrigue.
I liked the setting. The others have been set in different countries and cultures as well, but I felt like both Briar's and Tris's books were a little bit othering in regards to the natives of those countries. It felt like there was a fair amount of criticism from an outsider. In this book, there was none of that. Daja didn't necessarily agree with everything in the culture, but it seemed much better handled and explored. It didn't seem nearly as othering.
Just overall, I enjoyed this book so much more than any of the others and I'm very grateful to have a book in this series that I loved.
I think this book was just more well crafted than the other three. The friendships Daja made grew and developed throughout the story better than the new characters in any of the other three books. I really cared for her students and Ben, and I'm always partial to Frostpine. I also enjoyed the mystery/crime element. It exists to a degree in all these books, but I think it was explored best here. You know from the beginning who the arsonist is, but it doesn't affect the intrigue.
I liked the setting. The others have been set in different countries and cultures as well, but I felt like both Briar's and Tris's books were a little bit othering in regards to the natives of those countries. It felt like there was a fair amount of criticism from an outsider. In this book, there was none of that. Daja didn't necessarily agree with everything in the culture, but it seemed much better handled and explored. It didn't seem nearly as othering.
Just overall, I enjoyed this book so much more than any of the others and I'm very grateful to have a book in this series that I loved.
December 13, 2019
I usually don’t write a hot review, but fuck this book deserves it. The Circle series’ aren’t as tight as those set in Tortall - they feel more raw, like they came straight out of Tamora Pierce’s hand, instead of being diligently edited and revised. But that gives them a super charged power. Several of her books have utterly distorted me - namely Mastiff and Trickster’s Queen - but there’s something different about Daja’s experiences in this novel. She faces evil like it exists in reality - not pure evil, but the complex evil that is made even more tragic by its good. I think this is the theme she first explored in the Immortals series with Ozorne, but she just about perfected it here. The plot isn’t surprising, but it isn’t supposed to be. The twists are supposed to be heart wrenching, not shocking. And they certainly are that.
December 14, 2021
This was a bit more interesting than the previous two books, unlike those this wasn't just about Daja finding a student to teach. This time Daja had two students to teach, a man to make fireproof gloves for, and a pyromaniac to catch.
December 22, 2020
Oh man this was one very intense! I think this was less mystery and more thriller, which is a cool kind of genre change up here. It also meant I personally was so much more tense and screaming at the book at certain points. But if you want Criminal Minds for kids, this is right up your alley I think. (The cop/carcerality stuff uh bugged me but ymmv, most kids books are not written for prison abolitionists.)
October 31, 2018
i thought "Cold Fire" was excellent of describing the story line and showing the character's personality. The only thing that kind of annoyed me was how much suspense or silence for a period of time.Overall,the book was fantastic.
October 22, 2020
I liked this one a little less than the last two. I really like Daja but the dark tone of the book with an arsonist on the loose was less appealing to me (somehow i found that more disturbing than the straight up murderers of the last two? 🤔).
Nia and Jory are wonderful characters though and I appreciated Daja's dive into her own humanity and flaws.
Nia and Jory are wonderful characters though and I appreciated Daja's dive into her own humanity and flaws.
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